Why Sun should GPL StarOffice

All software should be free?

October 14, 1999

By
Zach Frey

As most readers probably know
already,Sun
Microsystems recently
purchased StarDivision, maker of StarOffice,
a full-featured office suite that competes
with (and is somewhat compatible with)
MicrosoftOffice.
Unlike Microsoft Office, however, StarOffice
is cross-platform, and is available today
for Windows, Linux, Solaris, and OS/2.

Sun is now allowing individuals to
download StarOffice at no charge, or order
it on CD-ROM for a nominal charge.

Sun has also announced its intention
to allow access to theStarOffice source code,
under the Sun Community
Source License (SCSL). While some media
have reported this as Sun "open sourcing"
StarOffice, this is not accurate, since
the SCSL does not comply with the Open
Source Definition (OSD).

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For those who already believe that all
software should be free, the thing
for Sun to do is obvious: release
StarOffice under the terms of an
OSD-compliant license, preferably the GNU
General Public License (GPL). But
those who are not free software purists, and
especially those who are Sun stockholders,
will ask "what's in it for Sun?" I outline
here why I believe it is in the best
interest of Sun Microsystems to release
StarOffice as truly free software.